Camp Kitchen Gear & Food

By Category

Camping cookware, pots and pans

Cold camp rations are a thing of the past. Cook camp food in style with portable stoves, pots, pans, and outdoor kitchenware from EMS. Our selection of camping cookware will have you wanting to eat outdoors more often! MORE

Thermoses and Coolers

Keep your foods and drinks as hot or cold as you like. Camping cookware from EMS features the best thermoses and coolers that campers can find. Travel with ice or hot water as you like with products from EMS. MORE

Baking and Cookware for Camping

Get your outdoor bakeware from EMS. We have all the cooking accessories and camping cookware you could possibly need to make a hearty meal in the great outdoors. BACK

Camp Cooking Tips

Sunrise on the trail is a beautiful sight when you're fully fueled and nourished but not so great when you're eating cardboard and listening to an empty stomach. Whether you're packing for light-and-fast hiking or loading up gear for a family vacation, there are easy ways to conquer camp cooking . . . and make it taste good.

Eat what you like to eat at home

If you love mashed potatoes, have them! If you love spaghetti and tomato sauce, have that. Most of what we eat at home can be replicated in some form while camping. It all comes down to weight and prep time. If you want to be completely gourmet, and don't mind a heavy pack (it's worth it on a 2-3 day trip) bring fresh veggies, real cheese, and desserts. If you're going to be out for a long time and can't afford the weight, go with dehydrated and freeze-dried meals.

Think cooking basics

Onions, garlic, and fresh ginger will last several days on the trail. Bring a spice kit. Fresh ground pepper makes all the difference! Bring parmesan/romano cheese and olive oil — you can work wonders with pasta, cheese, spices, and olive oil. Add nuts to (almost) any meal for extra crunch and protein. Add packaged tuna, salmon, and canned chicken for protein and flavor. Use your leftover cooking water for hot drinks.

Look for favorite grocery brands

Fantastic Foods®, Spice Hunter®, and Near East® have great food selections. Check your local health food store and the natural foods aisle at your grocery store. Make a note of the food brands you like and don't like.

Plan ahead

Be sure you bring enough food. Take into consideration where you're going, for how long you're traveling, and who you are traveling with. Remember that not everyone likes the same food. If you're cooking for a group, find out what they absolutely won't eat, before you hit the trail—especially important with kids.

Dehydrate your own camp food

If you're bored with backpacker meals and can't carry fresh ingredients, get a dehydrator. The instructions are easy to follow and the results are surprisingly good. (I bought a dehydrator last year and used it to make "spaghetti leather" and dried veggies.)

Energy Bars - Lots more calories and protein in these than in granola bars, and some are almost a whole meal. Check your grocery store, health food store, and outdoor shops like Eastern Mountain Sports. Find a couple favorites, stock up, and carry extras!

Snacks - Dried fruit, mixed-salted nuts, GORP, pretzels, cookies, goldfish. You want things that are sweet and/or salty, and not so delicate that they will get crushed in your pack. Fresh or canned fruit can also work well (depending on your hike and load).

Cheese - On day trips, bring your favorite soft cheese (cheddar or gouda), but don't count on those for day three of a backpacking trip. Very hard, dry cheeses like parmesan or romano will last several days without refrigeration. You can also bring mozzarella string cheese or cheese sticks (each piece is wrapped separately).

Peanut Butter - It even comes in a tube! Spread on tortillas, bagels, biscuits, and more. You can also get jelly in a tube.

Meats - Carry salami, pepperoni, and summer sausage (highly processed and don't need refrigeration) in smaller packaged sections, and try to finish them at one time so the rest doesn't spoil. Prepackaged tuna or salmon is also convenient.

Breads - The options are endless. Some of my favorites are French bread, tortillas, bagels, pita bread, and tea biscuits. Eat bulky items (bagels) or delicate items (French bread, scones) on your first days out.

Start with a dinner appetizer

A first course takes off the hunger edge while you prepare the main meal. Think black bean dip, hummus, or cheese with pita bread, crackers, or tortillas. Ramen noodles or Cup-O-Soup makes a light starter for those cooler days. For something a bit more lively, try pesto/cheese or black bean/cheese quesadillas.

Dinner is down time

Dinner can be as simple as "backpacker meals" where you just add boiling water, or as involved as sautéed fresh veggies, couscous with feta cheese, and a dessert of fresh-baked carrot cake! Whatever your concoction, kick back and enjoy your evening. Here are some nutritious, energy-packed favorites:

Pasta with dehydrated spaghetti sauceDehydrate spaghetti sauce at home, and rehydrate the sauce on the trail with boiling water. Tastes just like the real thing. Add dehydrated or freeze-dried veggies for more nutrition, color, texture.

Couscous or rice w/mushrooms, sundried tomatoes & pine nuts

Black bean soup w/rice, salsa & cheeseIf you use dehydrated beans and salsa, this can be lightweight. I have used canned beans and salsa (very heavy and you have trash to carry out), but it tasted great on a rainy night!

Couscous w/sautéed veggies & cheeseOn the first day of a trip, I like to have fresh veggies like red and green peppers, zucchini, onions, and garlic sautéed in olive oil. Mix with couscous and feta cheese. Sprinkle with pine nuts.